


Alone

by DreamAtNight



Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: Canon Compliant, Don't read unless you've watched Episode 19, Gen, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, Nothing serious just what's been shown canon of Ragyo so far, Slight- Angst, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-27
Updated: 2014-02-27
Packaged: 2018-01-13 23:19:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1244227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamAtNight/pseuds/DreamAtNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her father left her. Her sister was taken away from her. Her mother was never with her to begin with.<br/>She’s been alone all her life. Being stuck in a cage, isolated, doesn’t seem like much of a difference to Satsuki.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alone

**Author's Note:**

> So, after watching Episode 19, I was talking with a friend and she was very pissed that the Elite Four didn't show any concern about Satsuki's whereabouts. We talked about it a bit and both came to the conclusion that that was a serious cut into the Elite Four's characters. And thus, I started to think about why the Elite Four didn't seem to care about finding Satsuki. And I came up with this. Hope you enjoy!

Minute flashes of light bounce off of the underground walls as the displays on multiple holographic screens change every so often. Inumuta blinks to clear his eyes as he continues to let his fingers fly over the many keyboards of his Probe Regalia, the rest of the Elite Four standing around him in anticipation, each taking a break from wearing their own Goku Uniforms.

“Has there been any more progress?” The tech-savvy teen doesn’t bother to respond to the old man who’s just entered the room, knowing Jakuzure will probably open her mouth soon to answer, anyways.

As expected, the tiny girl next to him pipes up. “No, the dog’s still trying to tune out all of the COVERs in the area.” She reaches out to grab a teacup from Soroi before gesturing to it in Inumuta’s peripheral. Barely sparing a glance, he graciously accepts and downs it in one go before handing it back to Jakuzure.

“How’s Iori?” Sanageyama’s low voice carries throughout the silence in the small room. Inumuta files away the worry in the monkey’s voice for further analysis, perhaps for a time _after_ they find Lady Satsuk, he thinks. However, he continues to keep an ear on the conversation. He admits to himself that Sanageyama’s worry isn’t _too_ far-fetched. Without the blonde, who else would be able to use his data on Life Fibers to its full potential?

“Shiro seems to be getting better. He’s just woken up. It seems his blood loss has stopped somewhat.” The butler’s voice is transparent with worry and Inumuta decides to let this observation slide. Of course he’s worried; Iori is his nephew.

For a while, Inumuta is left to work in silence. He does so, taking full advantage of the lack of outside distractions to focus on his work, finishing up the tracking algorithm for Kamui Junketsu. _Finally_ , he thinks, _it’ll be done_.

It’s been three days since the disaster called the Cultural and Sports Grand Festival. He and the Elite Four have taken residence in the private home of Soroi Mitsuzo while he works on finding the location of Lady Satsuki. Just as he’s about to employ the finished product of the algorithm, Sanageyama shifts.

“I need to talk with Iori about something. Call for me if you find anything.” is the only explanation the other four are given before the swordsman walks out the room.

Inumuta works some more, blocking out all of the remaining COVERs’ energy fields, and letting the algorithm search for Kamui Junketsu’s energy signature. He lets out a sigh, looking around before picking up his refilled cup of tea to sip at it.

“So? Have you found Lady Satsuki, Inumuta?” The teen in question rolls his eyes at the gravelly voice next to him. Gamagoori needs to relax just a bit. Yes, Lady Satsuki is missing, but that doesn’t mean Gamagoori has to constantly give off an aura of death. It makes his face look constipated. (It’s not a nice look, Inumuta notes.)

However, not wanting to be at risk of angering Gamagoori, which may result in _his_ face looking like brain matter, Inumuta replies, “Not yet, Gamagoori. But, I have put the tracking algorithm to use. Now, we just have to wait while it does its job in pinning down Kamui Junketsu’s location.”

"What makes you so certain that Lady Satsuki will be wherever the Kamui Junketsu is?" Inumuta almost scowls at the question. Honestly, they should have a bit more faith in him. His plans have always worked before, haven't they?

"It'll work. We all saw Kiryuuin Ragyo take Lady Satsuki with her when she left the Ragyo Stadium. Kiryuuin Ragyo knows we'll be looking for Lady Satsuki, so she's going to want to keep a personal eye on her daughter. And with everything that's going on, she's going to want the Kamui Junketsu with her, in case she might need to fight against someone, or even keep the COVERs under control. So, Kiryuuin Ragyo is out there somewhere, with both Lady Satsuki and the Kamui Junketsu. Since Kamuis are pure Life Fibers, which are essentially life forms, the Kamui Junketsu will emit a unique energy trace, which is what the algorithm is searching for. If we can find the Kamui, we will find Lady Satsuki as well.”

He sent an unamused glance at the holographic screens before turning and finishing his tea. The room fills with silence as all of its inhabitants wait and watch the algorithm work with careful eyes. Just as the last of the tea is about to go cold, the screens emit a beep, the words “Location Found” flashing throughout.

Inumuta rushes to put the teacup down before typing in a few commands with a keyboard. Everyone else watches on as the sound of clicking keys permeates the air before the blue-haired teen smiles and leans back.

“Well, there you have it.” He waves his arm out to point at the screens. “The location of Kamui Junketsu, and Lady Satsuki, is- W-What?!”

Inumuta stares at the results on the screen, aware that Gamagoori and Jakuzure have pushed in next to him, to try and see what’s shocked him. He swallows his disbelief and speaks.

“They’re at Honnouji Academy.”

Silence follows for 3…2…1…

“What?!?!”

The shouts of Gamagoori and Jakuzure bring Sanageyama back into the room. The swordsman surveys the room for any immediate threats, turning to them when he finds none.

“What is it? Have you found her?”

Inumuta pushes his glasses up, pushing back his thoughts of _Why didn’t they have the mind to check the Academy?_ and _Lady Satsuki was so nearby all this time_ as well before speaking. “Yes, we’ve found the location of Lady Satsuki. She’s at Honnouji Academy.”

Like the rest of them, Sanageyama undergoes a moment of disbelief, but unlike them, he restrained against the urge to exclaim his thoughts.

“So, what do we do now, Dog?” Jakuzure uses her baton to turn his head so that Inumuta is looking straight at her.     

“We rest for the night,” he promptly replies. “None of us have adequate amount of sleep in our bodies to do much right now, much less go and rescue Lady Satsuki. Tomorrow, we’ll be more prepared to go back to Honnouji Academy.”

The short conductor nods in approval before walking towards the door, swinging her baton this way and that on her way out. Inumuta notes that while it looked like Jakuzure was just mindlessly swirling her baton around, he knew from his data collected with previous observations of the petite girl that this was one of her habits that only popped up when she was particularly eager about something.

Looking at Gamagoori and Sanageyama, Inumuta notices that they, too are showing signs of anticipation. He sighs before telling them to go to sleep as well and get some rest. They can work out a plan tomorrow. Believe it or not, they are quite good at improvisation.

Like the past three nights, he thanks Soroi for the tea and for letting him and the Elite Four to stay here. As he goes to bed, his mind comes to the conclusion that yes, they are all more than looking forward to being able to get Lady Satsuki back. Inumuta only hopes that their eagerness doesn’t make them reckless. They cannot afford to make foolish decisions tomorrow.

* * *

 

_Her father left her. Her sister was taken away from her. Her mother was never with her to begin with._ She’s been alone all her life. Being stuck in a cage, isolated, doesn’t seem like much of a difference to Satsuki.

She tilts her head back to look at the bit of light shining through the cracked ceiling. Where they are in her precious Academy is unknown to her, debris and the remnants of destruction leaving the place unrecognizable. Satsuki cannot bear to think of what has happened to her students, if this is what has happened to the buildings of her Academy.

It’s the fourth morning that she’s been locked up, her mother taunting her through rough caresses and rude hits to bare skin. She’s long learned how to endure the abuse, but it doesn’t mean she’s not uncomfortable with it. A thought that has been popping up every so often since the failure of the Festival flits through her mind.

_What would my life be like if Otou-san had decided to take me with him when he left with Matoi?_

Even if she is her sister, technically making her a Kiryuuin, Satsuki refuses to call Matoi a Kiryuuin, even in her mind. Calling her a Kiryuuin would imply that Matoi grew up as a Kiryuuin, underwent the trials that Satsuki did. Matoi hasn’t, therefore, Satsuki won’t be calling the feisty teen a Kiryuuin any time soon, if ever. She supposes that she should be grateful that her sister didn’t have to go through the upbringing she did. It’s something she thinks with a bitter mood.

The clicks of heeled shoes echoes through the empty space, interrupting Satsuki’s train of thought. Without looking up, she braces herself for another “talk” with her mother.

“Ah, still holding up, I see?” The shrewd voice of Kiryuuin Ragyo grows louder as its owner gets closer to the literal cage her daughter is in.

“What?” The dress of the day swishes as Ragyo enters the cage and continues to walk forward. She lifts Satsuki’s chin once reaching her.

“Ah? Are you still giving me the silent treatment, Satsuki? What for?” Satsuki resists closing her eyes in a silent grimace as her mother’s hand moves downwards, long fingernails catching onto her skin every now and then. “Is it for locking you in here?” The hand stops to rest on her hip, tightening ever so slightly. “Honestly, it isn’t my fault. What if you attack me again? Then I’d be forced to punish you even more than now. Really, Satsuki, this is your fault. What was the point of you doing that?” The hand starts on its downward path again. “Was it because of your father? You thought you were doing him a favor by going against me? Continuing his legacy perhaps? Did you,” Ragyo’s lips curl into a mocking sneer, “want to make him _proud_? Of _you_?” Satsuki grinds her teeth together, her insides curling so much she would vomit if she weren’t worried about her dignity...or what’s left of it.

“Well, Satsuki, my dear daughter, let me tell you something. Even if he were alive today, your father wouldn’t have cared whether or not you went against me. He wouldn’t care about you at all. He _didn’t_ care about you. If he had,” both hands have started roaming on Satsuki’s body, “he would’ve bothered to take you with him when he left. But he didn’t. And you were trying to make someone like _that_ proud?”

It takes more willpower than she’d like, but Satsuki manages to remain looking nonchalant, her vacant expression betraying nothing to the vile thing that is her mother.

Luckily, it seems, Ragyo has things to do today, because she leaves shortly after, only delivering one blow to Satsuki’s backside, before promptly sashaying her way out.

The moment Ragyo’s ostentatious profile is out of sight, Satsuki closes her eyes and lets a breath out. Ragyo has been wearing down on her mind every day, it seems, mocking her about her childish views of her father.

But, Ragyo is right about one thing, Satsuki thinks as she takes another deep breath, shifting a bit so that her muscles don’t fall asleep in their stationary position. Her father had managed to leave the clutches of a Kiryuuin, and he didn’t seem to think about taking his elder daughter with him. What did that say about him? About Satsuki?

“Satsuki-sama?”

The familiar title in the familiar tone breaks through her mind and she snaps her eyes open. They narrow as they scan the room, looking for the telltale shimmer in the air of the Probe Regalia.

“Inumuta?”

Lights flash a bit before assembling into the form of a person. Her Informational Chair appears before her, head bowed and eyes closed. Whether the pose is out of respect or because she currently has no clothes on, Satsuki is grateful, to some degree.

“Satsuki-sama,” Inumuta reaches out to blindly press some combination of keys, before a screen pops up, and he turns it to reveal the rest of the Elite Four, “the Elite Four is here to take you away from here.”

They are all bowed in the same position as Inumuta, and Satsuki feels a certain sense of _something_ (pride? happiness? gratefulness?) at this. She is at the worst she’s ever been, degraded and declothed, and yet the four people in front of her continue to show her respect  and loyalty and put her above them. For once, it seems, she's found people who won't leave her. But it also seems she'll have to make them.

For while her father didn’t seem to care enough about Satsuki to take her away from a life as a Kiryuuin, he cared enough to tell her of the evils of her mother, before Ragyo herself had the chance to corrupt her. He told her of the evils of the Life Fibers, of how she’ll have to be the one to save humanity by defeating them. Or try her best to. And she wouldn’t be helping by running away from the source of the problem.

Knowing her Elite Four, they will find a way to stay with her if she told them of her decision. Knowing her mother, they will eventually be found, and most likely killed. Satsuki can’t have that. The Elite Four are capable of doing many things, and if Satsuki is going to be holed up in here, the rest of the world is going to need _someone_ to look after them. She’s going to have to order them away. It’s the only reason they’ll go.

“No. While I appreciate your efforts, I’ll be staying here to see if I can find a way to get closer to the Original Life Fiber. In the meantime, I will need you four to look after the rest of humanity. Maybe even join forces with Nudist Beach, and show them how to _properly_ fight COVERs.”

As expected, reactions are varying for each of them. Narrowed eyes from Inumuta, gaping mouth from Jakuzure, raised eyebrow from Sanageyama, furrowed brows from Gamagoori.

“But, Satsuki-sa-”

“Follow my orders, Gamagoori. That goes for the rest of you. Am I clear?” She will not waver in this decision.

She keeps her gaze steady as they all exchange glances, before four sets of eyes return to her.

“Yes.”

Satsuki nods at them, a clear farewell. She watches carefully as Inumuta collapses the holographic screen back into his Goku Uniform, before he raises his eyes to meet hers.

“When will we see you again, Satsuki-sama?”

Her gut tightens as she replies, “I don’t know.”

She can tell by the shake in Inumuta’s following nod that this eats at him. For once, there is a question that he cannot compute the answer to, nor is it one that Satsuki somehow knows in that way of hers. For once, there is no clear answer.

As Satsuki watches on, Inumuta employs the Optical Camouflage part of his Probe Regalia before sneaking back out of Honnouji Academy. Despite the unease in her stomach, Satsuki knows this was the right choice.

The Elite Four leave her, unwillingly yet loyal. And safe. Once again, Satsuki is left alone.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> So...how was that? A possible explanation? So far-fetched it shouldn't even be considered as possible?  
> If you'd like to see what I get up to on tumblr, my username is [adanima](adanima.tumblr.com), come talk to me! (if you'd like)


End file.
